i'm chris matthews in washington. tonight we have an hour to get on top of this horrific tragedy in connecticut, to get our heads around it, to understand why it happened, how things like this happen. we'll take, of course, much longer. but let's get to it. we have chris jansing on the scene in newtown, connecticut. nbc justice correspondent pete williams in washington. we have clint van zandt, former fbi profiler and nbc analyst with me in the studio. nbc white house correspondent kris welker is with us. we also have larry johnson, the president of the national association of school safety and law enforcement officials. first we go for an immediate update to my msnbc colleague chris jansing. chris, i know you have aride on the site in newtown, connecticut. what's the latest? >> reporter: well, there was just a briefing by officials here, and it is obviously the most devastating of news. as they describe it, this has been a scene of absolute horror. in fact, they have moved the press away from the school here to a com